Condenser system.



0. H. MUBLLER.

CONDENSER SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED n.zo, 1911.

1,012,268. Patenfed Dec.19, 1911.

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vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO HILDEBERT MUELLER, 0F CAMBERWELL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY R.WORTHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONDENSER SYSTEM.

Application filed April 20,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Or'ro I-IILDEBERT `MUELLER, a subject of the Emperorof Germany, residing at Camberwell, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Condenser Systems, fully described andrepresented in the following specification and the accompanying drawing,forming a part of the same.

The present invention refers in particular to a condenser system for usewith turbine engines and reciprocating engines, but the broader featuresare applicable generally to systems in which condensers operating atdifferent vacua are used in connection with a so-called cooling tower orother cooling apparatus, with the liquid circulated through the wholecondenser and cooling system in a closed circuit.

In describing the invention I will take, for example, the case of twocondensers, one for a steam turbine and the other for reciprocatingengines, the cooling water of both being re-cooled by a cooling tower.For the turbine condenser a .high vacuum is required, say 2792A inches,while for the reciprocating engine a vacuum of 2525 inches is quitesufficient, in fact more economical than a higher vacuum. Assuming thewater to leave the cooling tower at a temperature of 80 F., suchquantity should be circulated as not to raise the temperature of thedischarge in the turbine condenser above 102o F., and that in thereciprocating engine eondenser not above 124:o F. I also assume, forexample, that the same quantity of steam is to be condensed in eachcondenser, with the same quantity of circulating water. The ordinarymethods of re-cooling the water for these condenser-s are three 1.Separate cooling towers for the turbine condenser and the condenser forthe reciprocating engines, with both towers cooling the water down to 80F., so that the intake water of both condensers can be taken from thesame pipe. The tower for the turbine condenser will have to be very muchlarger than that of the reciprocating engine condenser, especially ifnatural draft towers be used, and the combined area of the coolingtowers I will call unit.

2. Separate cooling towers, as before, but not cooling the water for thereciprocating engine condenser down from 124o F., to 80 Specification ofLetters Patent.

F., but only to 102O F., and circulating Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

1911. serial No. 622,212.

through this condenser a correspondingly larger quantity of water. Thecooling tower for the reciprocating engine condenser can thus be madeconsiderably smaller, and the combine area of both somewhat less than incase 1 above, or about .9 of unit. As the rise of ten'lperature ofcooling water in each condenser is now the same, z'. c., 22C F., and theload also the same, as assumed above, the same amount of cooling waterwould be passed through each condenser and through each cooling tower.

3. One cooling tower to cool the combined discharge of both condensersdown to 80o F. The temperature of the combined discharge in the exampleunder consideration would be It will be :found that the area in suchcooling tower will he equal to the combined area of the two coolingtowers in case 2 above or about .0 of unit.

According to the present invention, the circulating water heated in theturbine condenser will not be pumped to the cooling tower but first beutilized in the condenser for the reciprocating engines and then bedelivered to the cooling tower. In the above example the water will flowfrom the cooling tower to the turbine condenser at 80 F., will be heatedup in the turbine condenser to 102o F., then pass through thereciprocating engine condenser, and therein be heated up to 12flo F.,and then pass to the cooling tower, so that the cooling tower has todeal with water from 124 F., temperature, and it will be found that thearea of this cooling tower will be only about .GG of unit. Thisreduction in area is due largely to the fact that atmospheric coolingtowers are much more cllieient when working with water at hightemperatures, be* cause the cooling air, being heated more highly inpassing through the tower, can absorb much more vapor than at lowertemperatures and consequently abstracts more heat from the water byevaporation. Another advantage of the higher temperatures in natural=draft cooling towers is that the draft is increased by thehigherptempc'tture of the ascending air and consequently more air isdrawn through the tower and a higher efliciency secured.

In the above description, the load, and consequently the quantity ofcirculating water, is assumed to be exactly the same on both condensersbut the invention is readily applicable also to cases in which the loadon the condensers is not the same. If a larger quantity of circulatingwater be required for the turbine condenser, the -arrangement preferablywill be such that a portion of the turbine condenser discharge passesdirectly to the cooling tower, lowering slightly the combinedtemperatures of the warm water. On the other hand, if a larger quant-ityof circulating water be required for the reciprocating engine condenser,some of the circulating water may be passed directly to that condenserinstead of first passing through the turbine condenser.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification theinvention is illustrated diagrammatically as applied in the condenserand cooling tower arrangements described above, in which drawing Figure1 shows the apparatus with all the circulating water passing throughboth condensers to the cooling tower. Fig. 2 shows the apparatus withsome of the turbine condenser discharge passing directly to the coolingtower, and Fig. 3 shows the apparatus with some of the circulating waterpassing directly to the reciprocating engine condenser. d

Referring to the drawing, A is the turbine condenser, B thereciprocating engine condenser, C the cooling tower, and D thecirculating pump delivering through pipe a to the condenser A, fromwhich the discharge water passes through pipe b to condenser B, fromwhich condenser the discharge water passes through pipe c to the coolingtower C and returns from cooling tower C to the circulating pump Dthrough pipe d.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is the same as that of Fig. 1, except thata portion of the discharge water vfrom the condenser A, which is notrequired in condenser B, passes directly from pump D to the coolingtower through pipe e, shown as provided with regulating valve 1 by whichthe amount of water thus by-passed around the condenser B may beadjusted as required.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 3 is the same as that shown in Fig. 1,except that a portion of the circulating water, which is not required incondenser A, passes directly from pump D to condenser B through pipe fprovided with regulating valve 2.

It will be understood that the invention may be used with either surfaceor injec-` condensers with some or all of the condens ing liquid passingsuccessively through the different condensers in the order of decreasingvacua.

2. A steam .condenser system having a plurality of condensers operatingat dierentvacua and an atmospheric cooling tower for the warm condensingliquid, vin combination with means for circulating the condensing liquidthrough the cooling apparatus and condensers with some or all of thecondensing liquid Y passing successively through the dierent condensersin the order of decreasing vacua.

3. In a steam condensing system, the com`- bination with a turbinecondenser and a reciprocating engine condenser operating at differentvacua and a cooling apparatus forthe warm condensing liquid, of meansfor circulating the condensing liquid through the condensers and coolingapparatus with some or all of the condensing liquid passing from thecooling apparatus first through the turbine condenser and then throughthe reciprocating engine condenser, and from the reciprocating enginecondenser to the cooling apparatus.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

o'rro (HILDEBERT MUELLER.

Vitnesses H. D. JAMESON, C. P. LIDDoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0;

